Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 51 Days (Mike Barwick Jr. and Mackenzie Nworah)

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 Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

#51

We are just a day away from the halfway point of our Countdown to IUFB Kickoff, we will double-up at 51 with Mackenzie Nworah and Mike Barwick Jr.

Mike Barwick Jr. (Redshirt Junior)

-Height: 6’0”

-Weight: 300 pounds

-Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

-Position: Defensive Tackle

It may have taken Mike Barwick Jr. a couple of years to see the field for the Indiana Hoosiers after arriving at IU from Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati, but he made a big impression as a role player in 2016. Barwick Jr. redshirted his freshman season in 2014 and did not see any game action in 2015.

Last season, the Indiana defensive line talent and depth was going to be tested and Barwick was a big question mark, but he answered the bell. The then redshirt sophomore appeared in all 13 games and made 22 tackles, 2.5 TFL’s and had two sacks. While those numbers don’t fly off a stat sheet, Barwick did provide great depth at a position where Indiana needed more production.

Heading into 2017, Barwick is one of the players who jumped out to me when watching winter weight lifting workouts. He was constantly throwing up big-time weights and his effort was almost unmatched. Once again Mark Hagen and the IU defense will need Barwick to provide an energy boost off the bench again to take their performance to the next level.

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Mackenzie Nworah (Redshirt Freshman)

-Height: 6’4”

-Weight: 308 pounds

-Hometown: Houston, Texas

-Position: Offensive Line

Nworah is a redshirt freshman out of Houston, Texas where he was the 31st best guard in the nation for Manvel H.S. as he helped lead the team to an 11-3 record his senior season.

The Indiana offensive line has some depth and health questions and if redshirt freshman Mackenzie Nworah can step up and backup one of the tackle positions, it will allow Darren Hiller, IU’s new offensive line coach, to be more flexible with their lineup.

The Hoosiers had awful injury luck along the line last year as Dan Feeney and Brandon Knight missed significant time. Our fingers are crossed that won’t happen again, but it’s football and injuries happen and having a player like Nworah step in and provide some depth would be great.

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